C22. The Problem of Evil: The Uneasy Coexistence of God and Evil

The problem of evil is perhaps the most existentially tormenting challenge to belief in God. If God is all-loving and all-powerful, then how can we explain that there is so much evil in the world?  This course will investigate the project of theodicy, “the justification of God’s ways in view of evil.” Popular theodicies in contemporary philosophical and theological thought will be discussed. The course will make constant reference to the teaching of the relation between God and evil in the Bible and will examine the value of theodicy and its future.

INSTRUCTOR: Gary Shahinian is the Senior Pastor of Park Congregational Church in Worcester. He earned a PhD in Philosophy from The Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. He taught philosophy and theology at Redeemer College in Ontario, Dordt College in Iowa, and Worcester State University.

REQUIRED BOOK: Pathways in Theodicy: An Introduction to the Problem of Evil. Mark S. M. Scott. Fortress Press. ISBN: 9781451464702.